Kansas City Chiefs LB Justin Houston will not be among those released by the Chiefs, according to a source. Houston carries a 2018 base salary of $14.75 million and a cap number of $20.6 million. He would carry $12.7 million in dead money if he were to be traded or released.

Fantasy Tip: The Chiefs put their faith in Mahomes when they dealt Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins this week. Mahomes has a huge arm, and he'll be a QB2 in 2018 with tons of upside, especially in keeper formats.

Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce said that he knows QB Patrick Mahomes is "ready for the opportunity" and that the club can "without a doubt" win a championship with Mahomes under center. "He can throw the ball any way, he can throw it off his back foot and he can jump and throw, he can throw the ball anywhere, any way you need for it to be thrown," Kelce added. "His confidence is definitely one of the best attributes to his game."

Fantasy Tip: One of the biggest transitions in all of football next season will see how the Chiefs fare moving on from Alex Smith to Mahomes, their 2017 first-round pick whom they drafted out of Texas Tech. The 22-year-old received one start in his rookie campaign -- a meaningless Week 17 tilt in Denver -- and didn't disappoint, racking up 284 yards on 62.9 percent passing. While his ceiling is high, he'll begin the season as more of an option for two-quarterback formats.

Kansas City Chiefs QB Alex Smith has played relatively poorly against the NFC East in his career. In 18 career games versus the division Smith has averaged a scanty 217.4 yards and 1.2 touchdowns. Smith will be playing eight games in the NFC East.

Fantasy Tip: Smith is coming off a career year in which he threw for over 4,000 yards and 26 touchdowns. Furthermore, his yardage has increased each season since 2014. While he's not a reliable week-to-week No. 1 fantasy quarterback, he's a high-end backup option.